“Now, the Question is: From whom to hear?”

Prabhupada, Nellore, January 8, 1976: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, of course, He quoted from Bhagavatam. Any devotee or bona fide preacher, he does not manufacture anything. He simply follows the previous mahajana. He said, jnane prayasam udapasya. One should not try to speculate to understand the Supreme Truth. So we should give up this habit of speculating to understand God. One should become submissive, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva, that very submissive to hear from the right person. So, hearing is so important. Therefore our all Vedic literature is called sruti. So, the subject matter which is beyond our sense perception, avan-manasa gocarah, that cannot be understood by using our imperfect senses. Now, the question is: from whom to hear? So in the sastra it is said, san-mukharitam: “You have to hear from realized saintly person.” It is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti tad jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah [Bg. 4.34]

You have to hear from a person who has seen or who has understood the Absolute Truth and who is tat, sad-guru. He must be a devotee of the Lord.

So it is stated in the sastra that,

sat-karma-nipuno vipro mantra-tantra-visaradah avaisnava gurur na sa syat sat sva-paco guruh

It is said that “A brahmana who is very well expert in the brahminical activities and mantra-tantra-visarada, knows all the Vedic mantras, but if he is not a Vaisnava, he cannot become guru. But a person born in a family of dog-eaters, sva-paca, he can become guru if he has become Vaisnava.” Sanatana Gosvami, one of the big acaryas of Gaudiya sampradaya, he has also said that avaisnava gurur na sa syat. Sa. He says that, a person… puta- hari-kathamrtam sravanam na kartavyam. Avaisnava-mukhodgirna- puta-hari-kathamrtam sravanam na kartavyam. He says that, “You do not try to hear from a person who is avaisnava hari-kathamrtam.” The hari-katha, the message of Krishna like Bhagavad-gita and other, Bhagavata, Srimad-Bhagavatam, you should not hear from a person who is not a Vaisnava. In the Bhagavata also it is said, satam prasangat mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah- kathah. When we hear from sad-vekti, or Vaisnava, then we get real effect. So if one argues that, “Hari-katha is pure. Even a avaisnava speaks, what is the harm there?” So, Sanatana Gosvami said in connection with this that sravanam na kartavyam sarpocchistam payo yatha. Just like milk: it is very nice food, but if it is touched with the lips of a snake, it becomes poisonous. Therefore it is concluded that we have to hear the transcendental message of Krishna from a realized soul, a devotee.

So, this hearing process is recommended, that you should hear from a realized person who is sadacara-sampanna-vaisnava. So who is a bhakta? Because you have to learn from a bhakta, so who is a bhakta? That is also described. So it is stated in the sastras and the Gosvamis as sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] “Anyone who has no more designation and he is pure from material contamination.”

Full Lecture: http://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/6/1/15/nellore/january/08/1976